All posts tagged storyteller

If this is it,
then so it shall be.
I want you to know,
it means a lot to me.

HipLining up at the campus pub 1985, a cold stubby in my hand Doors would eventually open No cover, for a cool cover band Some suggested Jim Morrison Felt more like a Rolling Stone A mix of B-sides and originalsThe hip vibe, definitely their own

A different stage, Lakeview Manor People from miles around A fan base that had grown Along with their singular sound An E.P and a break-through Up To Here, and it was time to go As good as each next album was It was more about the live show

Passing on some arena gigs Four of us, in my father’s car Five and a half hours south The Hip experience, in an unhip bar Taking a break from winter With our Canadian content in tow Sharing our rock n roll landscape With those who might not know.

A slice of our identity A uniquely Canadian sound Taking our reciprocal pride and passing it around

No matter where this life takes you it’s good to know that you can always come home…Back to your family and your friends with stories of where you’ve been To the harmony of your hometown To where you always begin Accompanied by the music of your life, that defines you from within.

Outside at The Forum, August ’93 Bigger stage, overflowing crowd The same electric atmosphereFor the appreciative and proudReconnected with a great friendGary and Hodgie, the Queen’s yearsKingston to Toronto, and back
A hug, The Hip, and a couple of beers

A common thread of identity
The words, drums, the guitars
Intimate and intertwined
under a constellation of stars

Fast forward 25 years, Ottawa Tailgating, second to last show We are raucous, we are ready Inspired by what we know A brave, triumphant journey Our home and our native land Man Machine Poem, and mutual respect The storyteller, their crowd, this band

It’s not about patriotic pathos It’s a celebration, for 30 plus years It’s new songs mixed with older Rhythmic recollection, maybe a few tears It’s whole cities of support An entire country, and its heart Lyrically linked, together as one Joined at the Hip, from the start.

The strength of our identity The pulse of a nation A Tragically Hip tune on a radio station
No matter where the music takes you it’s good to know You can always come home…Back to those perennial seeds, the ones you chose to sew Firmly planted, in hometown soil The seeds that helped you grow Pride, a poet, and a band of brothers, home for one more show.

Last night…
A front row seat in Port Perry
It’s Scotty, Tim, Peter and me
A musical postcard from Kingston
The Tragically Hip, in a pub, for free
Honoured guest at a party for all of us
August 20, 2016, a tall pint, a toast, a sip
A thoughtfully wrapped three-hour gift
To Canada, with love, from The Hip.

If that was it, then so it shall be. I want you to know,it meant the world to me.